Flying Drunk
eBook - ePub

Flying Drunk

The True Story of a Northwest Airlines Flight, Three Drunk Pilots, and One Man's Fight for Redemption

  1. 240 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Flying Drunk

The True Story of a Northwest Airlines Flight, Three Drunk Pilots, and One Man's Fight for Redemption

Book details
Table of contents
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About This Book

March 8, 1990: An intoxicated three-man crew, including Flight Engineer Joseph Balzer, fly a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 with 91 passengers aboard from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis, Minnesota.Northwest Airlines, alcoholism
July 25, 1990: All three pilots stand trial for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol; all three are convicted and sent to federal prison.July 26, 1990 – present: Joe Balzer fights for redemption and to regain all that he has lost. Flying Drunk is his story.Since he was a young boy, Joe Balzer dreamed of flying. He pursued his goal with a vigorous passion and earned his pilot licenses, piling up hours of flight time with a wide variety of planes and jets with one overarching goal: to one day fly for a major airline. But Joe had a problem. He was an alcoholic and refused to admit to himself that he had a problem.His alcoholism caught up with him in March 1990, when Joe was arrested with two other pilots for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol. His world began crumbling around him and his new marriage faced the ultimate test. He lost his promising career and his dignity. Every major media outlet, including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Magazine covered the shocking story for the stunned American flying public. The trial that followed drained Joe’s life’s savings and federal prison nearly broke him. Flying Drunk is Joe’s bittersweet and thoroughly chilling memoir of his twisted journey to a Federal courtroom, his time in the notorious Federal penitentiary system in Atlanta, and his struggle to recapture all that he held dear.Today, Joe is a recovering alcoholic, celebrating more than nineteen years of sobriety. The long road back from perdition led him to American Airlines, where good people and a great organization recognized a talented pilot who had cleaned up his act and was ready to fly again, safely.Flying Drunk is an incredible journey of the human spirit, from childhood to hell, and back again. Everyone should read and heed its message of hope and redemption. No one who does will ever forget it.About the Author: Joe Balzer is a pilot for American Airlines with more than 15, 000 hours of flight experience. He has a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Education and is also an inspirational speaker, traveling around the country speaking to pilots and other groups on the dangers of alcohol and other addictions, bringing his audience to laughter and tears with his powerful message of hope. Joe lives in Tennessee with his wife Deborah and their two children. Flying Drunk is his first book.

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Information

Publisher
Savas Beatie
Year
2009
ISBN
9781611210484
Topic
History
Subtopic
Military Biographies
Index
History

Table of contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Prologue, Acknowledgments, Note on Sources
  8. Chapter 1: Early Life
  9. Chapter 2: Adolescent Years
  10. Chapter 3: Dreaming of Flying
  11. Chapter 4: Joe the Teacher
  12. Chapter 5: Liftoff
  13. Chapter 6: Delta is Ready When You Are
  14. Chapter 7: Paying My Dues
  15. Chapter 8: Eastern: “The Pilot's Airline”
  16. Chapter 9: Northwest Airlines: I'm Flying a Bowling Shoe!
  17. Chapter 10: The Five-Day Trip From Hell
  18. Chapter 11: Nightmare in Fargo
  19. Chapter 12: The Worst Day of My Life
  20. Chapter 13: The Calm Before the Storm
  21. Chapter 14: Stranded and Alone
  22. Chapter 15: Media Circus
  23. Chapter 16: Tragic Homecoming
  24. Chapter 17: Criminal Charges
  25. Chapter 18: “Under the Influence”
  26. Chapter 19: Getting Real
  27. Chapter 20: Trial—and Errors
  28. Chapter 21: A Brief Reprieve
  29. Chapter 22: Turning Myself In
  30. Chapter 23: Wrong Turn?
  31. Chapter 24: Heavy Metal
  32. Chapter 25: The Big House
  33. Chapter 26: Happy New Year!
  34. Chapter 27: Stayin' Alive
  35. Chapter 28: Oh No, Not “The Hole!”
  36. Chapter 29: Watch Your Six O'clock
  37. Chapter 30: “Halfway” Home
  38. Chapter 31: Home Sweet Home
  39. Chapter 32: Angels and Wings
  40. Chapter 33: Yonder the Wild Blue
  41. Chapter 34: Just Call Me “Captain”
  42. Chapter 35: Dreaming the Impossible
  43. Chapter 36: Go Ahead, Make My Day
  44. Chapter 37: The Day of Reckoning
  45. Epilogue: “This is Your Captain Speaking”
  46. Appendix: Facts Established at Trial
  47. About The Author